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宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric

孤雁儿

Lone Wild Goose (Gu Yan Er)

李清照

Li Qingzhao

悼亡mourning the dead 咏梅plum blossom

藤床纸帐朝眠起。
说不尽、无佳思。
沈香断续玉炉寒，伴我情怀如水。
笛里三弄，梅心惊破，多少春情意。
小风疏雨萧萧地。
又催下、千行泪。
吹箫人去玉楼空，肠断与谁同倚。
一枝折得，人间天上，没个人堪寄。

From a rattan bed and paper curtain I rise at morning.
Ineffable—no pleasant thought.
The aloes smoke flickers, the jade censer cold, keeping my heart clear as water.
Within the flute, three variations; the plum's heart is startled open—how much spring feeling.
A light wind, sparse rain, whispering.
Again they urge down a thousand lines of tears.
The flute-player gone, the jade tower empty—heart-broken, with whom shall I lean?
A branch plucked—on earth or in heaven, no one to send it to.

Listen

Meaning

From a rattan bed behind a paper curtain she rises at dawn, her heart filled with ineffable, cheerless thought. Aloes smoke flickers in the cold jade censer, keeping her feeling as clear and chill as water. From the flute sound the three variations of the Plum-blossom tune startle the plum's heart open, stirring so much spring feeling. A light wind and sparse rain whisper; again they urge a thousand lines of tears. The flute-player is gone, the jade tower empty—heart-broken, with whom can she lean upon the rail? She plucks a plum branch, yet between earth and heaven there is no one to whom she may send it.

藤床纸帐朝眠起。说不尽、无佳思。沈香断续玉炉寒，伴我情怀如水。笛里三弄，梅心惊破，多少春情意。小风疏雨萧萧地。又催下、千行泪。吹箫人去玉楼空，肠断与谁同倚。一枝折得，人间天上，没个人堪寄。

Appreciation

[Plain-Language Reading] From a rattan bed and paper curtain she rises at morning. Ineffable—no pleasant thought. The aloes smoke flickers, the jade censer cold, keeping my heart clear as water. Within the flute, three variations; the plum's heart is startled open—how much spring feeling. A light wind, sparse rain, whispering. Again they urge down a thousand lines of tears. The flute-player gone, the jade tower empty—heart-broken, with whom shall I lean? A branch plucked—on earth or in heaven, no one to send it to. [Imagery and Method] This lyric is Li Qingzhao's famous piece on mourning the dead through the plum, written after her husband Zhao Mingcheng's death—plucking a plum with no one to send it, a classic of 'mourning the dead through the plum.' The first half writes plum and feeling: 'From a rattan bed… no pleasant thought' the cheerless morning rise; 'The aloes smoke flickers… heart clear as water' the cold censer and clear heart; 'Within the flute, three variations… how much spring feeling' the flute startles the plum's heart. The second half writes the plucked plum with no one to send: 'A light wind, sparse rain… a thousand lines of tears' the rain urges tears; 'The flute-player gone… with whom shall I lean' the gone flute-player and empty tower; 'A branch plucked… no one to send it to' the plucked plum with no one, a line of enduring fame. The whole writes mourning through the plum; 'A branch plucked… no one to send it to' exhausts the grief of plucking with none to receive—a classic of 'mourning the dead through the plum.' [Feeling and Theme] The lyric was written after 1129, after Zhao Mingcheng's death. Its prefatory note says: 'When men write plum lyrics, they turn vulgar at the brush. I tried one, and knew the old saying true'—she judged her plum lyric not vulgar, writing it to mourn the dead. Deeply bonded with Zhao Mingcheng, after his death she drifted alone; mourning became the theme of her late lyrics. Here: the morning rise with no pleasant thought, the cold censer and clear heart, the flute's three variations startling the plum's heart (also hinting the shock of widowhood); the sparse rain urging tears; the flute-player gone, the tower empty; the plucked branch with no one on earth or in heaven to send it. The whole mourns the dead through the plum—'A branch plucked… no one to send it to' exhausts the grief of plucking with none to receive, a key work for understanding her mourning style.

【白话串讲】李清照写《孤雁儿》：“藤床纸帐朝眠起。说不尽、无佳思”——“沈香断续玉炉寒，伴我情怀如水”——“小风疏雨萧萧地。又催下、千行泪”——“吹箫人去玉楼空，肠断与谁同倚”——她悼念亡夫赵明诚——“一枝折得，人间天上，没个人堪寄”。【意象与手法】此词是李清照写悼亡咏梅的名篇，写夫赵明诚亡后折梅无人可寄的悲痛，是李清照词中「以咏梅写悼亡」的名篇。上片写梅与情怀：「藤床纸帐朝眠起，说不尽、无佳思」写朝眠起的无佳思；「沈香断续玉炉寒，伴我情怀如水」写沈香玉炉、情怀如水；「笛里三弄，梅心惊破，多少春情意」写笛里三弄、梅心惊破。下片写折梅无人可寄：「小风疏雨萧萧地，又催下、千行泪」写疏雨催泪；「吹箫人去玉楼空，肠断与谁同倚」写吹箫人去、玉楼空寂；「一枝折得，人间天上，没个人堪寄」写折梅无人可寄，是千古名句。全词以咏梅写悼亡，那「一枝折得，人间天上，没个人堪寄」写尽折梅无人可寄的悲痛，是李清照「以咏梅写悼亡」的名篇。【情感与主旨】此词约作于南宋建炎三年（1129）之后，时李清照夫赵明诚已卒。此词有小序：「世人作梅词，下笔便俗。予试作一篇，乃知前言不妄耳。」写李清照自认咏梅词不俗，作此词悼亡咏梅。李清照与赵明诚夫妻情深，赵明诚卒后（建炎三年卒于建康），李清照孤身漂泊，悼亡是其后期词的主题。此词即写其悼亡咏梅：朝眠起无佳思，情怀如水，听笛中《梅花三弄》，梅心惊破；折梅一枝，却「人间天上，没个人堪寄」。词中「藤床纸帐朝眠起，说不尽、无佳思」写朝眠起的无佳思——藤床纸帐，朝眠起，说不尽无佳思，写尽晨起的惆怅；「沈香断续玉炉寒，伴我情怀如水」写沈香玉炉、情怀如水——沈香断续，玉炉寒，伴我情怀如水，写尽炉寒情冷；「笛里三弄，梅心惊破，多少春情意」写笛里三弄、梅心惊破——笛里三弄（《梅花三弄》），梅心惊破，多少春情意，写尽笛声惊破梅心的春意（也暗写夫亡的惊心）；下片「小风疏雨萧萧地，又催下、千行泪」写疏雨催泪——小风疏雨萧萧地，又催下千行泪，写尽风雨催泪；「吹箫人去玉楼空，肠断与谁同倚」写吹箫人去、玉楼空寂——吹箫人去（用萧史弄玉之典，写夫赵明诚如吹箫人已去），玉楼空，肠断与谁同倚，写尽人去楼空的肠断；「一枝折得，人间天上，没个人堪寄」写折梅无人可寄——一枝折得，人间天上，没个人堪寄，那「人间天上，没个人堪寄」写尽折梅无人可寄的悲痛——那折得的一枝梅，人间天上，竟没有一个可以寄给的人（夫已亡，无人可寄）。全词以咏梅写悼亡，那「一枝折得，人间天上，没个人堪寄」写尽折梅无人可寄的悲痛，是李清照「以咏梅写悼亡」的名篇。【名句点睛】常考“吹箫人去玉楼空，肠断与谁同倚”写悼亡之痛；“一枝折得，人间天上，没个人堪寄”写折梅无人可寄，是千古名句。

Background

This lyric was written after 1129, a piece by Li Qingzhao mourning the dead through the plum. Li Qingzhao (1084–c. 1155), styled Yi'an Jushi, married Zhao Mingcheng at eighteen; deeply bonded, after the Jingkang catastrophe they crossed south, and Zhao died at Jiankang in 1129, leaving her to drift alone. The lyric bears a prefatory note: 'When men write plum lyrics, they turn vulgar at the brush. I tried one, and knew the old saying true'—she judged her plum lyric not vulgar, and wrote it to mourn the dead. 'From a rattan bed and paper curtain I rise at morning… no pleasant thought' writes the cheerless rise—'rattan bed and paper curtain' are cold, plain furnishings, 'no pleasant thought' the morning gloom. 'The aloes smoke flickers, the jade censer cold, keeping my heart clear as water' writes the cold censer and clear heart—the aloes (chenxiang) burns fitfully, the jade censer cold, keeping her heart clear as chill water. 'Within the flute, three variations; the plum's heart is startled open' writes the flute's Plum-blossom tune startling the plum's heart (personified—the flute startles the plum, and the heart), 'how much spring feeling' the stirred feeling (also hinting the shock of widowhood). The second half: 'A light wind, sparse rain, whispering… a thousand lines of tears' the rain urges tears; 'The flute-player gone, the jade tower empty' uses the Xiao Shi and Nong Yu tale for her husband gone like the flute-player, the tower empty; 'A branch plucked—on earth or in heaven, no one to send it to' the plucked plum with no one to receive—he is dead on earth, unfindable in heaven. This is a classic of 'mourning the dead through the plum.'

此词约作于南宋建炎三年（1129）之后，是李清照写悼亡咏梅的词。李清照（1084-约1155）号易安居士，十八岁嫁赵明诚，夫妻情深；靖康之变后南渡，建炎三年（1129）赵明诚病卒于建康（今南京），李清照孤身漂泊。此词前有小序：「世人作梅词，下笔便俗。予试作一篇，乃知前言不妄耳。」写李清照自认咏梅词不俗（世人咏梅易俗，她的咏梅不俗），作此词悼亡咏梅。词中「藤床纸帐朝眠起，说不尽、无佳思」写朝眠起的无佳思——「藤床纸帐」写藤床与纸帐（藤床写床，纸帐写帐，都是清寒的卧具），「朝眠起」写早晨眠起（睡醒起身），「说不尽、无佳思」写说不尽无佳思（说不尽的没有好心情），那「藤床纸帐」写尽清寒的环境、「无佳思」写尽晨起的惆怅；「沈香断续玉炉寒，伴我情怀如水」写沈香玉炉、情怀如水——「沈香断续玉炉寒」写沈香（沉香）断续、玉炉寒（那沈香断续地燃着，玉炉已寒），「伴我情怀如水」写伴我情怀如水（那沈香玉炉伴着我，情怀如水般清冷），那「玉炉寒」写尽炉寒情冷、「情怀如水」写尽情怀的清冷；「笛里三弄，梅心惊破，多少春情意」写笛里三弄、梅心惊破——「笛里三弄」写笛中《梅花三弄》（《梅花三弄》是古曲，写梅的曲），「梅心惊破」写梅心惊破（那笛声惊破梅心，令人想到「梅心惊破」的拟人——笛声惊动梅花，也惊动人心），「多少春情意」写多少春情意（那梅心惊破，勾起多少春情意），那「笛里三弄，梅心惊破」写尽笛声惊梅的春意（也暗写夫亡的惊心——那笛声如惊雷，惊破梅心，也惊破人心）；下片「小风疏雨萧萧地，又催下、千行泪」写疏雨催泪——「小风疏雨萧萧地」写小风疏雨萧萧地下着（那疏雨萧萧，写尽凄清），「又催下、千行泪」写又催下千行泪（那风雨又催下千行泪），那「又催下」写尽风雨催泪（那「又」字写尽泪之常流）；「吹箫人去玉楼空，肠断与谁同倚」写吹箫人去、玉楼空寂——「吹箫人去玉楼空」写吹箫人去（用萧史弄玉之典：萧史善吹箫，与弄玉（秦穆公女）结为夫妻，后弄玉乘凤、萧史乘龙飞去；此处以吹箫人（萧史）喻夫赵明诚，写其如吹箫人已去），玉楼空（玉楼空寂），「肠断与谁同倚」写肠断与谁同倚（肠断，与谁同倚阑干），那「吹箫人去玉楼空」写尽人去楼空的肠断；「一枝折得，人间天上，没个人堪寄」写折梅无人可寄——「一枝折得」写折得了一枝梅，「人间天上，没个人堪寄」写人间天上，竟没有一个人可以寄（那折得的一枝梅，人间天上，竟没有一个可以寄给的人），那「人间天上，没个人堪寄」写尽折梅无人可寄的悲痛——那折梅欲寄，却人间天上无一人可寄（夫已亡于人间，亦不可寻于天上），写尽悼亡的悲痛。此词是李清照「以咏梅写悼亡」的名篇，那「一枝折得，人间天上，没个人堪寄」写尽折梅无人可寄的悲痛，是理解其悼亡词风的关键作品。

Art

The artistry may be read on four levels. First, the conception of mourning the dead through the plum: 'Within the flute, three variations… the plum's heart is startled open' and 'A branch plucked… no one to send it to' exhaust the grief—the plum was the shared memory of Li Qingzhao and Zhao Mingcheng (they once viewed plums together), writing mourning through the plum, things the same yet the person gone. Second, writing feeling through setting: 'rattan bed and paper curtain' and 'aloes smoke flickers, the jade censer cold' write the cold setting; 'the jade censer cold' the chill of heart, 'heart clear as water' the clear cold feeling—scene and feeling blended. Third, writing mourning through allusion: 'The flute-player gone, the jade tower empty' uses Xiao Shi and Nong Yu for her husband gone like the flute-player, 'the tower empty' the emptiness after he left—allusive yet deep. Fourth, closing on 'no one to send it': 'A branch plucked… no one to send it to' writes plucking to send, then none to receive; 'on earth or in heaven' nowhere to find, 'no one to send it to' the grief of plucking with none—a heart-breaking close. These four moves make it a classic of 'mourning the dead through the plum.'

此词的艺术特色可从四个层面解析。其一，以咏梅写悼亡的构思。全词以咏梅写悼亡——那「笛里三弄，梅心惊破」的梅，「一枝折得，人间天上，没个人堪寄」的折梅，都写尽悼亡的悲痛；那梅，正是李清照与赵明诚的共同记忆（夫妻曾共赏梅），以咏梅写悼亡、物是人非。其二，以环境写情怀。「藤床纸帐」「沈香断续玉炉寒」以藤床、纸帐、沈香、玉炉写清寒的环境，那「玉炉寒」写尽炉寒情冷，「情怀如水」写尽情怀的清冷，以环境写情怀、情景交融。其三，以典故写悼亡。「吹箫人去玉楼空」用萧史弄玉之典写夫赵明诚如吹箫人已去，那「吹箫人去」写尽夫亡，「玉楼空」写尽人去楼空，以典故写悼亡、含蓄而沉痛。其四，以「没个人堪寄」写收束。「一枝折得，人间天上，没个人堪寄」以「一枝折得」写折梅欲寄，以「人间天上，没个人堪寄」写无人可寄，那「人间天上」写尽无处可寻（人间寻不到，天上也寻不到），那「没个人堪寄」写尽折梅无人可寄的悲痛，以无人可寄收束、沉痛无比。四重手法层层推进，使此词成为李清照词中「以咏梅写悼亡」的名篇。

Allusions

The imagery and allusions are rooted in the traditions of mourning and plum-song. 'From a rattan bed and paper curtain I rise… no pleasant thought' writes the cheerless rise—'rattan bed and paper curtain' are cold plain furnishings, evoking 'plum blossoms drunk in a paper curtain'; 'no pleasant thought' evokes the desolation of 'cold, cold, clear, clear.' 'The aloes smoke flickers, the jade censer cold… heart clear as water' writes the cold censer and clear heart—'aloes smoke flickers' evokes 'the incense fades from the golden beast' (Zui Hua Yin); 'the jade censer cold' evokes Wen Tingyun's 'jade censer, red wax tears'; 'heart clear as water' evokes Li Yu's 'a river of spring water flowing east.' 'Within the flute, three variations; the plum's heart is startled open' writes the flute's Plum-blossom tune startling the plum (personified—startling the plum's heart, also hinting the shock of widowhood). 'A light wind, sparse rain, whispering… a thousand lines of tears' writes the rain urging tears—'sparse rain' and 'whispering' evoke 'the wind whistles' and 'endless leaves fall'; 'a thousand lines of tears' evokes Lu You's 'tear-stains red, the gauze soaked.' 'The flute-player gone, the jade tower empty' uses Xiao Shi and Nong Yu (Xiao Shi played the flute, the princess Nong Yu rode a phoenix away with him)—the 'flute-player' stands for Zhao Mingcheng gone. 'A branch plucked—on earth or in heaven, no one to send it to' evokes Lu Kai's 'pluck a plum for the courier, send it to the man on the ridge—south has nothing, I offer a branch of spring'; Li Qingzhao plucks to send yet none to receive. The lyric transforms Lu Kai, Li Yu, Wen Tingyun, Lu You, and her own Zui Hua Yin and Shengsheng Man into one utterance of mourning through the plum.

此词的意象与典故深植于悼亡与咏梅传统。「藤床纸帐朝眠起，说不尽、无佳思」写朝眠起的无佳思——「藤床纸帐」写藤床与纸帐（「藤床」写藤编的床、「纸帐」写纸糊的帐，都是清寒的卧具，令人想到「纸帐梅花醉梦间」的意象与「藤床」的清简），「无佳思」写没有好心情（令人想到「冷冷清清，凄凄惨惨戚戚」（李清照《声声慢》）的凄清），那「藤床纸帐」写尽清寒的环境、「无佳思」写尽晨起的惆怅。「沈香断续玉炉寒，伴我情怀如水」写沈香玉炉、情怀如水——「沈香断续」写沉香断续（「沈香」写沉香，令人想到「瑞脑消金兽」（李清照《醉花阴》）的焚香意象——「瑞脑消金兽」写香消，此处「沈香断续」亦写香断），「玉炉寒」写玉炉已寒（令人想到「玉炉香，红蜡泪」（温庭筠《更漏子》）的玉炉意象），「情怀如水」写情怀如水（令人想到「一江春水向东流」（李煜《虞美人》）的如水意象——那情怀如水，既是清冷，也是绵长），那「玉炉寒」写尽炉寒情冷、「情怀如水」写尽情怀的清冷绵长。「笛里三弄，梅心惊破，多少春情意」写笛里三弄、梅心惊破——「笛里三弄」写笛中《梅花三弄》（《梅花三弄》是咏梅的古曲，令人想到「梅花三弄」的琴曲意象），「梅心惊破」写梅心惊破（那「梅心惊破」以拟人写笛声惊梅——笛声惊动梅心，如惊破；也暗写夫亡的惊心），「多少春情意」写多少春情意（令人想到「春情」的意象），那「笛里三弄，梅心惊破」写尽笛声惊梅的春意。「小风疏雨萧萧地，又催下、千行泪」写疏雨催泪——「小风疏雨萧萧地」写小风疏雨萧萧（「疏雨」写稀疏的雨，「萧萧」写风雨声，令人想到「风萧萧兮易水寒」（《易水歌》）的萧萧意象与「无边落木萧萧下」（杜甫《登高》）的萧萧意象），「又催下、千行泪」写又催下千行泪（「催下」写雨催泪，令人想到「泪痕红浥鲛绡透」（陆游《钗头凤》）的泪意象），那「小风疏雨萧萧地」写尽风雨凄清、「又催下、千行泪」写尽风雨催泪。「吹箫人去玉楼空，肠断与谁同倚」写吹箫人去、玉楼空寂——「吹箫人去」用萧史弄玉之典（《列仙传》载萧史善吹箫，秦穆公以女弄玉妻之，后弄玉乘凤、萧史乘龙飞去；令人想到「乘龙快婿」的典故与「吹箫引凤」的意象——那「吹箫人」喻夫赵明诚，写其如吹箫人已去），「玉楼空」写玉楼空寂（令人想到「画楼空」的意象与「人去楼空」的怅惘），「肠断与谁同倚」写肠断与谁同倚（「同倚」写同倚阑干，令人想到「倚遍阑干，只是无情绪」的倚阑意象），那「吹箫人去玉楼空」写尽人去楼空的肠断；「一枝折得，人间天上，没个人堪寄」写折梅无人可寄——「一枝折得」写折得了一枝梅（令人想到「折梅逢驿使，寄与陇头人。江南无所有，聊赠一枝春」（陆凯《赠范晔》）的折梅寄赠传统——「折梅寄远」正是咏梅的传统，李清照折梅欲寄，却无人可寄），「人间天上，没个人堪寄」写人间天上无人可寄（那「人间天上」写尽无处可寻——人间寻不到、天上也寻不到，「没个人堪寄」写尽无人可寄——那折梅欲寄的人（赵明诚）已亡，人间天上都寻不到，那「没个人堪寄」写尽折梅无人可寄的悲痛）。全词化用陆凯、李煜、温庭筠、陆游（及李清照自己的《醉花阴》《声声慢》）的意象与典故，以咏梅写悼亡，正是李清照「以咏物写悼亡」的本领。

Commentary

This lyric has long been esteemed as Li Qingzhao's classic of 'mourning the dead through the plum,' and the source of famous lines like 'Within the flute, three variations… the plum's heart is startled open' and 'A branch plucked… no one to send it to.' Critics prize it for mourning the dead through the plum: 'The flute-player gone, the jade tower empty' writes the husband's death, 'A branch plucked… no one to send it to' the plucked plum with none to receive. Its special value lies in writing mourning through the plum—the cheerless morning, the cold censer, the flute startling the plum's heart (the plum was their shared memory), and 'A branch plucked… no one to send it to' the absolute song of 'things the same yet the person gone.' Together with Wu Ling Chun ('things the same, the person gone, all is done; to speak and tears fall first') it is a late masterpiece of mourning—one through the plum, one through boating. For today's reader it is a window onto her mourning style and the Chinese lyric's tradition of mourning—the rattan bed, the cold censer, the flute startling the plum, the branch with none to send, still speaking across a thousand years the widow's grief.

此词历来被推为李清照「以咏梅写悼亡」的名篇，也是「笛里三弄，梅心惊破」「一枝折得，人间天上，没个人堪寄」等名句的出处。历代论者对此词评价极高：论者多指出此词以咏梅写悼亡，以「吹箫人去玉楼空」写夫亡，以「一枝折得，人间天上，没个人堪寄」写折梅无人可寄，是李清照悼亡词中的代表作。在文学史上，此词的特殊价值在于：它以咏梅写出了悼亡的沉痛——那「藤床纸帐朝眠起，说不尽、无佳思」写尽了晨起的惆怅（藤床纸帐的清寒，无佳思的惆怅），那「沈香断续玉炉寒，伴我情怀如水」写尽了炉寒情冷的清冷（情怀如水，清冷而绵长），那「笛里三弄，梅心惊破，多少春情意」写尽了笛声惊梅的春意（那《梅花三弄》的笛声，惊破梅心，也惊破人心——那梅，正是李清照与赵明诚的共同记忆）；而那「一枝折得，人间天上，没个人堪寄」更是千古名句——折得了一枝梅，却「人间天上，没个人堪寄」，那「人间天上」写尽无处可寻（夫已亡于人间，亦不可寻于天上），那「没个人堪寄」写尽折梅无人可寄的悲痛——那「折梅寄远」本是咏梅的传统（陆凯「聊赠一枝春」），李清照却「没个人堪寄」，正是「物是人非」的悼亡绝唱。词中「笛里三弄，梅心惊破」写笛声惊梅，是名句；「一枝折得，人间天上，没个人堪寄」写折梅无人可寄，更是千古名句。此词与李清照的《武陵春》（「物是人非事事休，欲语泪先流」）一样，都是写悼亡的名篇，一以咏梅写悼亡，一以泛舟写愁绪。对于今日读者，此词是理解李清照「悼亡词风」与「以咏梅写悼亡」手法的窗口，也是感受中国词「悼亡」传统的典范——那藤床纸帐、沈香玉炉、梅心惊破的笛声、人间天上没个人堪寄的一枝梅，穿越千年，仍在诉说着一个未亡人「折梅无人可寄」的沉痛。

Prosody

Form Ci (Gu Yan Er, double tone, fifty-two characters)词（孤雁儿，双调五十二字）

Rhyme The first half keeps oblique rhyme (qi, si, shui, yi); the second half keeps oblique rhyme (di, lei, yi, ji); the oblique feet are short and choking, suiting the deep grief of mourning.上片押仄声寘未韵（起、思、水、意），下片押仄声寘未韵（地、泪、倚、寄），韵脚皆属仄声，韵音短促幽咽，正合其写悼亡沉痛的风格。

Tone pattern This is the Gu Yan Er (alias Yu Jie Xing) form, double tone, fifty-two characters, four oblique rhymes per half, its uneven lines serving the feeling. The content divides into two halves: the first writes plum and feeling; the second writes the plucked plum with none to send. In tone, the uneven lines (the open 'From a rattan bed…' against the tight 'on earth or in heaven, no one to send it to') write the rise and fall of mourning; the oblique feet, short and choking, suit the deep grief.此词为「孤雁儿」（《御街行》的别名）词牌，双调五十二字，上下片各四仄韵，以长短句的错落为抒情服务。全词按内容可分为两片：上片写梅与情怀（藤床纸帐朝眠起、说不尽无佳思、沈香断续玉炉寒、伴我情怀如水、笛里三弄、梅心惊破、多少春情意）；下片写折梅无人可寄（小风疏雨萧萧地、又催下千行泪、吹箫人去玉楼空、肠断与谁同倚、一枝折得、人间天上、没个人堪寄）。声调上，全词以长短句的错落（「藤床纸帐朝眠起」的舒展与「人间天上，没个人堪寄」的紧凑）写悼亡的起伏，韵脚皆属仄声，韵音短促幽咽，正合其写悼亡沉痛的风格。

Reading note This is a double-tone short lyric, its uneven lines writing mourning through the plum—exactly Li Qingzhao's gift of 'writing mourning through lyric.' Two halves: the first writes plum and feeling (rattan bed, cold censer, heart clear as water, flute's three variations, plum's heart startled); the second writes the plucked plum with none to send (light wind, sparse rain, a thousand lines of tears, flute-player gone, tower empty, no one to send it to). In tone it keeps oblique rhyme, short and choking, matching the desolation of 'the jade censer cold' and the grief of 'no one to send it to'—the whole hushed yet deep. Read the first half's plum and feeling low, the second half's plucked plum grieving—especially 'A branch plucked… no one to send it to' should be read grieving and choked, to convey 'mourning the dead through the plum.' Li Qingzhao is known for the gentle manner; this is her classic of it.此词是「孤雁儿」双调小令，以长短句的错落写悼亡咏梅，正是李清照「以词写悼亡」的本领。全词两片：上片写梅与情怀（藤床纸帐、沈香玉炉、情怀如水、笛里三弄、梅心惊破），下片写折梅无人可寄（小风疏雨、千行泪、吹箫人去、玉楼空、没个人堪寄）。声调上，全词以仄声韵为韵脚，韵音短促幽咽，配合「玉炉寒」的凄清与「没个人堪寄」的沉痛，全篇音节幽咽而不失沉痛。诵读此词，宜以低回的语调读上片的梅与情怀（沈香断续玉炉寒），以沉痛的语调读下片的折梅无人可寄（人间天上，没个人堪寄），尤其「一枝折得，人间天上，没个人堪寄」三句，要读得沉痛而哽咽，方能传达出李清照「以咏梅写悼亡」的深意。李清照词以「婉约」著称，此词正是其「以咏梅写悼亡」的经典。

Line by line

笛里三弄，梅心惊破，多少春情意。

These three lines are famous for the flute startling the plum, personifying the startle and hinting the shock of widowhood, implicit and deep. 'Within the flute, three variations' writes the Plum-blossom tune—'three variations' the ancient plum song; 'the plum's heart is startled open' personifies the flute startling the plum—the sound rises and startles the plum's heart open; deeper, it startles the poet's heart too (the grief of widowhood stirred by the flute). 'How much spring feeling' the stirred spring feeling and longing. The depth: 'Within the flute, three variations… the plum's heart is startled open' writes the personified startle and the widowed shock—the plum was their shared memory, and the flute startling the plum is the shock of 'things the same yet the person gone.' Writing the flute's whisper, the plum's startle, the spring feeling, is exactly Li Qingzhao's gift of 'mourning the dead through the plum,' making these lines famous.

笛中《梅花三弄》，梅心惊破，勾起多少春情意。

The flute plays the threefold tune; the plum's heart is startled and broken — how much spring's feeling it stirs.

这三句是写笛声惊梅的名句，以「梅心惊破」写笛声惊梅的拟人，也暗写夫亡的惊心，含蓄而沉痛。「笛里三弄」写笛中《梅花三弄》——那笛中吹着《梅花三弄》（《梅花三弄》是咏梅的古曲，令人想到「梅花三弄」的琴曲意象），「笛里三弄」写尽笛声的幽咽（那《梅花三弄》的笛声，写梅的曲调）；「梅心惊破」写梅心惊破——那笛声惊破梅心，「梅心惊破」以拟人写笛声惊梅——那笛声响起，如惊破梅心（梅花被笛声惊动，如心被惊破），也暗写人心被惊破（那《梅花三弄》的笛声，惊破了李清照的心——夫亡的悲痛，被笛声勾起）；「多少春情意」写多少春情意——那梅心惊破，勾起多少春情意，那「春情意」写尽被笛声勾起的春意与情思。这三句的深意在于：它以「笛里三弄，梅心惊破」写出了笛声惊梅的拟人与夫亡的惊心——那《梅花三弄》的笛声，本是咏梅的雅乐；那「梅心惊破」的拟人，写尽笛声惊梅的震撼（笛声一起，梅心都惊破）；而更深一层，那「梅心惊破」也暗写李清照的心惊——那笛声惊破梅心，也惊破人心（夫亡的悲痛，被笛声勾起），那「多少春情意」的「春情意」，既是梅的春意，也是李清照对亡夫的情思；而那「梅」正是李清照与赵明诚的共同记忆（夫妻曾共赏梅），那笛声惊梅，正是「物是人非」的惊心——那梅心惊破的「破」，写尽被笛声（也被人生的变故）惊破的心。以「笛里三弄」写幽咽、以「梅心惊破」写拟人、以「多少春情意」写情思，正是李清照「以咏梅写悼亡」的本领，也让这三句成为写笛声惊梅的名句。

The three phrases are the famous lines of the flute startling the plum, using the plum's heart startled-and-broken for the personification of the flute, and secretly writing the startle of the widow's heart, restrained and grieving. The flute plays the threefold tune writes the Three Fold Plum Tune on the flute, the old air of the plum, the sound's melancholy; the plum's heart is startled and broken writes the flute's sound startling the plum's heart — the plum itself as if its heart broken, and in the deeper layer the widowed poet's own heart broken, the grief for the dead husband stirred by the air; how much spring's feeling it stirs writes the spring feeling the air evokes, at once the plum's spring and the poet's longing for the lost husband. The plum is also the shared memory of Li Qingzhao and Zhao Mingcheng, who once admired the plum together; the flute startling the plum is precisely the startle of things unchanged and the person gone. The line writes the flute's melancholy, the personification of the startled plum heart, and the longing evoked — the method of Li Qingzhao's singing the plum to write the elegy, and the famous lines of the flute-startled plum.

一枝折得，人间天上，没个人堪寄。

These three lines are the lyric's pivot and a famous utterance: 'A branch plucked' writes plucking to send, 'on earth or in heaven, no one to send it to' writes none to receive, exhausting the grief of mourning. 'A branch plucked' writes the pluck—the 'pluck a plum to send the distant one' tradition (Lu Kai's 'I offer a branch of spring'); 'on earth or in heaven, no one to send it to' writes none to receive—he is dead on earth, unfindable in heaven. The depth: 'A branch plucked' against 'no one to send it to' writes the grief—the distant one (Zhao Mingcheng) is dead, nowhere to send; 'on earth or in heaven' the despair of nowhere to find, 'no one to send it to' the loneliness of none to receive, the absolute song of 'things the same, the person gone.' Writing the pluck, the nowhere-to-find, the none-to-receive, is exactly her gift, making these lines eternal.

折得了一枝梅，人间天上，竟没有一个可以寄给的人。

I break a spray of plum, and yet, on earth or in heaven, there is no one to send it to.

这三句是全词的点睛之笔，也是千古名句，以「一枝折得」写折梅欲寄，以「人间天上，没个人堪寄」写无人可寄，写尽悼亡的沉痛。「一枝折得」写折梅欲寄——折得了一枝梅，「一枝折得」写折梅（那「折梅」正是「折梅寄远」的传统——陆凯「聊赠一枝春」，折梅寄给远人），那「一枝折得」写尽折梅欲寄的举动——折得一枝梅，想寄给远人；「人间天上，没个人堪寄」写无人可寄——那人间天上，竟没有一个人可以寄，「人间天上」写尽无处可寻（人间寻不到、天上也寻不到），「没个人堪寄」写尽无人可寄（那折梅欲寄的人，已亡于人间，亦不可寻于天上），那「人间天上，没个人堪寄」写尽折梅无人可寄的悲痛——那折得的一枝梅，人间天上，竟没有一个可以寄给的人。这三句的深意在于：它以「一枝折得」与「没个人堪寄」写出了悼亡的沉痛——那「一枝折得」是折梅欲寄（正是「折梅寄远」的传统，折梅寄给远人），那「人间天上，没个人堪寄」是无人可寄（那远人（赵明诚）已亡，人间天上都寻不到，无人可寄）；而更深一层，那「人间天上」四字，写尽无处可寻的沉痛——那「人间」寻不到（夫已亡于人间），那「天上」也寻不到（天人也无寻处），正是「生死两茫茫」的沉痛；那「没个人堪寄」的「没个人」，写尽孤身一人的凄凉——折梅欲寄，却无一人可寄，正是「独在人间」的未亡人的沉痛；那「一枝折得，人间天上，没个人堪寄」，以折梅无人可寄写尽悼亡的绝唱，正是「物是人非事事休」的沉痛。以「一枝折得」写折梅、以「人间天上」写无处可寻、以「没个人堪寄」写无人可寄，正是李清照「以咏梅写悼亡」的本领，也让这三句成为千古名句。

The three phrases are the eye of the ci and the immortal line, using the breaking of a spray for the wish to send, and on earth or in heaven, no one to send it to for the impossibility, writing the elegy's pain to the utmost. I break a spray of plum writes the broken spray, the old custom of the plum sent to a distant friend (Lu Kai's let me send you a spray of spring); and yet, on earth or in heaven, there is no one to send it to writes the no recipient — on earth or in heaven searches everywhere and finds no one, the distant one (Zhao Mingcheng) dead, beyond search on earth and in heaven. The on earth or in heaven writes the nowhere-to-find grief — the living world searches not, the world beyond searches not, precisely the parting of life and death; the no one to send writes the solitary survivor's desolation. The three phrases, breaking the plum and finding no one to send, are the elegy's supreme song, precisely the pain of things unchanged and all affairs ended. The method of Li Qingzhao's singing the plum to write the elegy, and the line recited through the ages.

Study

Word focus

破 The word 'startled open' (po) is the key to the flute startling the plum, exhausting the shock of the plum's heart and hinting the heart's break, vivid and deep. Po means 'startled open, shattered.' Li Qingzhao writes the flute startling the plum with this word, at least twofold: first, the plum's startle—'the plum's heart is startled open' writes the flute startling the plum's heart, the sound rising and breaking it open, exhausting the flute's shock upon the plum. Second, the heart's break—'po' hints the heart's break: the Plum-blossom flute startles the poet's heart too (the grief of widowhood stirred), writing the broken heart. Writing the plum's heart with 'po' is her verbal gift: one word writes both the plum's startle and the heart's break, and the shattering of 'things the same yet the person gone.' Had she used 'startle' or 'move,' she would lose the shattering; only 'po' writes both the flute's shock and the heart's break, making 'the plum's heart is startled open' famous. 「破」字是写笛声惊梅的关键字，一个「破」字写尽梅心惊破的震撼，也暗写人心的惊破，传神而沉痛。破者，惊破、碎裂也。李清照以「梅心惊破」写笛声惊梅，一个「破」字，至少有双重意味：其一，写梅心之惊破——「梅心惊破」写笛声惊破梅心，「破」写惊破——那笛声响起，如惊破梅心（梅花被笛声惊动，如心被惊破），那「破」字写尽笛声惊梅的震撼（笛声一起，梅心都惊破）；其二，写人心之惊破——「破」暗写人心的惊破——那《梅花三弄》的笛声，惊破了李清照的心（夫亡的悲痛，被笛声勾起），那「破」字写尽人心的惊破——那笛声惊破梅心，也惊破人心，那「破」字写尽被笛声（也被人生的变故）惊破的心。以「破」写梅心，正是李清照炼字的本领：一个「破」字，既是写梅心的惊破（笛声惊梅），也是写人心的惊破（笛声惊心），更是写「物是人非」的破碎（那梅心惊破的「破」，正如李清照被夫亡惊破的心）——那「破」字，把笛声的震撼、梅心的惊破、人心的破碎融为一体。若换作「惊」「动」等字，则或失其「破」的破碎感，或失其「心破」的沉痛；唯「破」字，以一字写尽梅心惊破的震撼与人心破碎的沉痛，也让「梅心惊破」成为写笛声惊梅的名句——那「破」字，正是悼亡者被惊破的心。

堪 The word 'can' (kan) is the key to the plucked plum with none to send, exhausting the grief of none to receive, terse and deep. Kan means 'able, may.' Li Qingzhao writes 'no one to send it to' with this word, at least twofold: first, none able to receive—'no one to send it to' writes that there is no one who can receive it (the one to send to is dead, none to receive), exhausting the grief of none to receive; it is not that she will not send, but that 'no one can receive it.' Second, the loneliness of being alone—'kan' hints the loneliness of the widow: plucking to send yet none to receive, the desolation of 'alone in the world.' Writing none to receive with 'kan' is her gift: one word writes both none able to receive and the loneliness of being alone, and the despair of 'the two worlds apart.' Had she used 'can' or 'may' plainly, she would lose the elegant gravity of 'no one to send it to'; only 'kan' writes the grief of none to receive and the loneliness of being alone, making the line eternal. 「堪」字是写折梅无人可寄的关键字，一个「堪」字写尽无人可寄的沉痛，简洁而深刻。堪者，能够、可以也。李清照以「没个人堪寄」写折梅无人可寄，一个「堪」字，至少有双重意味：其一，写无人之可寄——「没个人堪寄」写没有一个人可以寄，「堪」写可以——那「没个人堪寄」写没有人可以寄（那折梅欲寄的人已亡，无人可寄），那「堪」字写尽无人可寄的沉痛——不是不想寄，而是「没个人堪寄」（没有一个可以寄的人）；其二，写孤身之凄凉——「堪」暗写孤身的凄凉——那「没个人堪寄」的「没个人」，写尽孤身一人的凄凉（折梅欲寄，却无一人可寄，正是「独在人间」的未亡人），那「堪」字写尽孤身的凄凉与无人可寄的沉痛。以「堪」写无人可寄，正是李清照炼字的本领：一个「堪」字，既是写无人之可寄（没有一个可以寄的人），也是写孤身之凄凉（独在人间，无人可寄），更是写「生死两茫茫」的沉痛（那「堪寄」的人已亡，人间天上都寻不到）——那「堪」字，把无人可寄的沉痛写得简洁而深刻。若换作「能」「可」等字，则或失其「堪」的书面雅致，或失其「没个人堪寄」的沉痛；唯「堪」字，以一字写尽无人可寄的沉痛与孤身的凄凉，也让「人间天上，没个人堪寄」成为千古名句——那「堪」字，正是未亡人「无人可寄」的绝唱。

孤雁儿